D.C. Everest students pitch at business expo

D.C. Everest student entrepreneurs held their own with businesses from around the community at the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce's Business EXPO on Thursday, April 21, 2016.
T'xer Zhon Kha/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

ROTHSCHILD - It took Ben Weller hundreds of hours to learn the craft behind his business, stringing the heads of lacrosse sticks.

It's an art and a science, he said. And Weller has been selling his services to other lacrosse players in the area since his Today's Business class at D.C. Everest Junior High School.

Two years have passed. Weller is 16 now and entering the big leagues.

On Thursday, he pitched his business, ReLax Lacrosse, at the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce's Business EXPO. He had a booth at the expo along with other students from the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, a D.C. Everest Senior High School class, collaborating with the chamber.

"I’m just hoping to expose my business," Weller said. "A lot of people didn’t even know we had a (lacrosse) team."

D.C. Everest entrepreneurs swim with the sharks

It's the first year that the YEA program has been in Wisconsin. And USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin is following its launch at Everest all year, keeping a close eye on senior Lukas Lindner and sophomore Laney Hughes. It's an extracurricular program that helps students set up functioning businesses and learn about marketing, networking and commerce.

Participating in a trade show is a Young Entrepreneurs Academy requirement, but other YEA programs across the country don't usually send students to a full-scale event with established businesses, said Sara Guild, the program manager for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy and the chamber's government affairs and workforce development director.

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Co-owner Isaac Frieders, right, shows a patron making a loop on a tie during Thursday's Small Business Expo event at Central Wisconsin Convention &amp; Expo Center in Rothschild. To Frieders' right is his business partner Konner Fierek.(Photo: T'xer Zhon Kha/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

"We have 250 'real businesses,' so-to-speak, and they're right in the mix of it," Guild said.

"Today's kind of that big, final exam. How do you do when you're in the real world?"

'Blasted them out of the water'

Hughes, 15, set conservative sales estimates for herself this year, she said. "I've just blasted them out of the water."

Wausau-area business students enter the ‘Shark Tank’ of Everest Junior High

She sells clothing online to customers all over the world under the company name Shallocat. Hughes' line includes T-shirts, hats and shorts with custom designs in embroidery or paint.

Last month, an investor panel awarded her the largest investment in the class, $1,000, and selected her to compete nationally against other YEA students in May.

Lindner, 17, started out with a clear idea for his business and continues to add services and products. His company, Peak Waxing, sells portable waxing tables for alpine and Nordic skis. And he's modifying a model to suit both snowboards and skis.

"Sadly, yes, the snow is gone," Lindner said. "We're going to make sure that next year, we're ready to go."

He's also providing waxing services himself now, cleaning skis and waxing them in preparation for next season. "I can do it for you, and I can do it cheaper than anyone," Lindner said.

Everest entrepreneurs compete for cash

But he won't be working through the high school much longer. Lindner is graduating and plans to work his way through college at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he'll study business administration.

Beyond the classroom

Lindner and Hughes aren't the only YEA students who plan to carry their businesses forward.

And once they graduate from the class, they'll be able to secure other investments for their businesses, Guild said. The expo is a chance for them to make connections.

Everest students' business ideas get real

Alexis Jaeger gave a polished business pitch at Thursday's expo. She had order forms and promoted early sales for her company, Tech Protech, which features a backpack insert that protects student's tablets or iPads in their bags.

Jaeger is looking for a manufacturer to produce her product and plans to keep making and selling after the school year ends. She loved having the opportunity to solve a problem she saw among her peers, who all have iPads from the district.

The class inspired her so much that if she can't keep her business going in the long term, she'd like to become a business teacher instead.

The YEA class has been really helpful for Weller, too, connecting him to business leaders for advice and leading him to a $500 investment. His skills have evolved as well. He customizes the weave on the heads of his customers' lacrosse sticks. He integrates leather and colored string.

Investors buy in to D.C. Everest student ideas

"It's kind of a symbol of who you are," he said.

The sport is becoming more and more popular, which will give him a growing customer base for his business.

"I plan to keep this going for a long time," Weller said. "Eventually the dream would be to open up my own lacrosse store."